In this series I will discuss from a high level some of the tasks of the Church. Obviously many books have been written concerning this topic, however, collectively, I think Church awareness, effectiveness and apathy are necessary and important reasons to bring these back to the forefront. Now more than ever it is important that we, the Church, do not become desensitized or apathetic toward passionately living out even the least of these Christ ordered tasks. The effectiveness of the Church as it now stands, its future eternal capacity and its necessary stance against the powers of darkness faced on a daily basis demand that we be strong in all of them, remembering that it is Christ who is the Head and to whom we, as the body, are accountable and it is the living risen Christ which we serve. In this series we will discuss ten of the tasks delegated to us for the carrying out Christ’s work on earth.

Assemblingσυνέρχομαι, synerchomai, Synagoge, Episynagoge The Bible is replete with references to us Gathering Together or Assembling to worship and or serve in unity with God’s purpose and worship in mind, Ex. 20:2-3. So important is this that Hebrews 10:24-25 teaches us that we are to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I find the word Episynagoge to be of great interest, not only because it is the Greek word behind the English assembling from the passagebut it also is the same word used in 1 Thess. 2:1 of our gathering together to be with the Lord. The parallel is amazing because when we assemble together on earth to worship and encourage we point to the future day when we will all assemble together again, only this time with Christ physically and tangibly in our midst!

God’s desire is togetherness and in the days of the Hebrew saints it couldn’t have had more meaning. Many had begun to disassociate or disassemble with one another and the precedent for doing so was not a good one and certainly not one found in Holy Writ. The author exhorts them to remain close and assemble in love—stirring one another to good works. In a nutshell God is telling us that the weak need the strong in order to have the courage and the accountability to stand and grow strong in the faith, while the strong in faith need the weak in order to grow stronger and to take the lead on the battlefield. Surely the battlefield was being assembled in Rome and many would lose their lives in choosing to stand in the company of Christ. But remember this one thing; nothing has changed in the past two-thousand years. More than ever we still need each other to gain strength to stand firmly against the impending and encroaching mold the Culture of Darkness desires to press us into. We must assemble to show Christ strong and provide the line in the sand that separates the darkness from the light—holiness from uncleanness—Heaven from Hell and finally, truth from error.

The Sifted Generation is a resource to help believers understand the seriousness of what is confronting us. It also gives loving counsel on how to face the coming onslaught and reveals why our generation is witnessing the alarming rise of darkness. The world is choosing its sides and the stage is being set for soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ!